


strings by many names

by kogaritsu



Category: Ensemble Stars! (Video Game)
Genre: Gen, idk im really sad, im back with more of this, this is just me lamenting that we never see them play together
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-21
Updated: 2019-12-21
Packaged: 2021-02-25 21:35:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,222
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21882349
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kogaritsu/pseuds/kogaritsu
Summary: Ritsu was already sat behind Adeline, looking just as small on the bench as he had when he learned to play. It ached to watch him pluck out a more complex version of Frère Jacques, fingers and wrists flexing in preparation for more. A glance downward saw his right foot hovering carefully over the sostenuto pedal, poised but not yet sustaining.
Relationships: Sakuma Rei & Sakuma Ritsu
Comments: 4
Kudos: 27





	strings by many names

**Author's Note:**

> back 2 venting hehe hope you like it

A soggy cracker floated in Rei’s soup, sickly pink and barely bobbing above the surface. He chased it with his spoon, pushing it in lazy circles until it sank to the bottom, coming apart in disgusting chunks. Any hope of tricking himself into gaining an appetite was a waste of time, but the sound of Ritsu’s spoon clinking against the bottom of his bowl was motivation enough to at least try a few more times. Unfortunately, a few more times was longer than Ritsu was willing to wait. His chair scraped against the floor with an irritated huff from him, and his muted footsteps took him away from the table.

“Come on.” Ritsu took Rei’s bowl from him, stowing it in the microwave to keep it safe and warm until he returned.

“Where are we going?” Rei’s socks slipped on the floor when Ritsu yanked his chair away from the table, unable to anchor him.

“Shut up,” Ritsu’s hands were so cold through his sleeve when he pulled on Rei’s arm, clearly trying to get him out of his chair, “Get up, I’m too tired to drag you.”

Rei listened, as any good older brother would, not bothering to push his chair in. He’d be back in no time; any time Ritsu initiated contact with him, it was short lived, so of course he’d be back. Their parents weren’t home, but instinct led him to look up the stairs and around the corner as he shuffled after Ritsu. Just in case. If they were around, Ritsu wouldn’t be nearly as active, Rei knew that and pretended not to, but it was better safe than sorry. As expected, the house was dark and lifeless, lit by nothing but the moon and a few night lights. Rei itched to turn on a light, but knew it would only make the night harder to bear.

The music room was still cluttered with underappreciated instruments, curtains drawn tight and night lights burned out from being left on. In their stead, candles were placed on any level surface they could fit on, giving the place a very cultic appearance. His practicing chair, stolen from the dining room after 2 back to back flights made it hard to play while standing, was pushed into the corner. His stomach turned when he figured out that it was in the piano’s blind spot. Ritsu passed the piano entirely, feeling around the leftmost shelf for a box of matches to light the various candles. Better lit, the room was still a special kind of empty, dusty and untouched aside from the immaculately maintained piano. 

“Adeline is beautiful as always.” Rei brushed his fingers over her keys, looking up just in time to catch Ritsu preening at the compliment.

It was a small victory, but one that carried him to the chair. He wasn’t pleased to be in the corner, feeling claustrophobic but hesitant to move it closer to the piano. This was more Ritsu’s room than his now, and it wasn’t his place to intrude on the setup, no matter the reason. After the pain he’d caused, it was the least he could do to leave things as they were.

“You haven’t been practicing lately,” Ritsu interrupted his train of thought, with no question in his tone, “At least not with Ophelia. Her case is all dusty.” 

“Oh…” Rei glanced at said case, resting safely on his shelf, “I have Clarisse at school… I suppose I have neglected Ophelia, haven’t I?”

“Mhmm.” Ritsu retrieved her anyways, setting her in Rei’s lap with uncharacteristic gentility, “You should play her, I’m sure she misses the attention.”

“She’ll need to be restrung.” It was with a heavy heart that he opened his violin’s case, surprised to find her quite well taken care of. 

Ritsu was already sat behind Adeline, looking just as small on the bench as he had when he learned to play. It ached to watch him pluck out a more complex version of Frère Jacques, fingers and wrists flexing in preparation for more. A glance downward saw his right foot hovering carefully over the sostenuto pedal, poised but not yet sustaining. Wanting to let him warm up in peace, Rei took Ophelia out of her case, weighing her against his arm and testing her strings. They were close to perfect, like someone had been nurturing her in his absence. When he moved her case to the ground, he caught a glimpse of fingerprints in the dust, smaller than his own. As he rested Ophelia under his chin, his heart swelled, clearing some of the fog built up around his brain. 

“Try and keep up, old man.” Ritsu sounded happier, but Rei could see the weight on his shoulders, could hear the tightness of his chest.

When he started to play, back straight and eyes fixed on a ding atop Adeline’s lid, it was easy for Rei to follow. It was a song they had played many times, sometimes for their respective musical instructors and sometimes for their family when they visited. To call it a childhood memory would be something of an understatement, not that either of them particularly cared to reflect on childhood memories. Rei leaned into the first note he played, hoping enthusiasm and effort would make up for his immense lack of practice. Ritsu played like he wasn’t there, never mentioning flubbed chords or off key notes. Sometimes, Rei had to stop and rest for a moment, listening to the way Ritsu made the song his own. It was beautiful in ways he couldn’t put into words, and he cursed Knights for never allowing him a piano solo.

At the end of the song, Ritsu started over, sparing a single look over his shoulder to see if Rei was still following. Rei smiled at him, hoping it came off as encouragement and praise, and kept on playing. The sun started to peek past the edge of the curtains, grayish blue as it tried to see past clouds and trees. School would start soon, but Rei made the very grown up decision that he and Ritsu’s illness was flaring up too terribly to attend that day. Children needed their sleep, and Ritsu was beginning to droop on his bench, holding out notes longer than any sheet music would ask. 

“You should rest, Ritsu,” Rei placed Ophelia back in her case, leaving her on his chair when he stood back up, “If you’re too tired, I have no problem carrying you.”

“I hate you,” Ritsu said as he opened his arms, eyes hardly open and words drawn out on a yawn. 

“I know.” Rei held him close to his chest, content when Ritsu’s head lolled against his shoulder. 

Abandoned soup forgotten, Rei made a very slow mad dash for the stairs, keeping a tight hold on Ritsu as he went. The trek upstairs was difficult, exacerbated by his lack of dinner and desperate need for sleep, but they made it. Ritsu’s last words, mumbled so quiet Rei could barely hear them, made the strain plenty worth enduring.

“Thank you.” The way his fingers held onto Rei’s sleeve an extra second said more than words could. 

“No need.” Rei tucked the sheets under Ritsu’s chin, sparing a final brush of his hand over Ritsu’s forehead, smoothing his hair back, “Sleep well.”

**Author's Note:**

> socials are mihouji im really fun when im not sad hmu


End file.
